The Nexus Empire
Chapter 1.1 Tyler In Nexus Tower... It was like any other day in LEGO Universe. Tycoons were earning cash, battlers were smashing Maelstrom, and beggars were being annoying. Bob loved looking over LEGO Universe from Nexus Tower. The serene view made Bob realize the Nexus would win for sure. Hael Storm was searching through his telescope. Doctor Overbuild was making new things. Vanda Darkflame was studying in her lab. And Duke Exeter was sending out ships to destroy Maelstrom. At that moment, an incoming transmission came in. It was from Hael Storm. Bob picked up his phone and looked. The call said... ---- Aye, the horizon don't look too good mate. More and more Maelstrom is coming. And lots.... We should be careful out there matey... -From the Piratey Desk of Hael Storm. ---- Bob then called Duke about Hael's call. Duke told Overbuild. And Overbuild told Vanda. Bob rushed to Nexus Tower's announcement booth. In Nimbus Station... "Hmmm.... I'll take this!" Tyler said as he traded with another person. "Offer?" The person said. "One hundred fifty thousand coins." Tyler said. "Deal" The person said. Zack then walked by Tyler. "I see you got lucky!" Zack said. "Yes, I did!" Tyler replied. "IMPORTANT MESSAGE!" A loud voice boomed. Everyone looked around to find out what was causing this noise. Tyler then found a loudspeaker. "There it is!" Tyler said as he pointed to it. The announcer, Bob, was about to address a very important message. This message could change the Universe forever. Chapter 1.2 Zack In Nimbus Station... Zack was a Paradox member, part of the ever-so secretive Shinobi. He carried his two katana proudly, and his black hair was spiked up, sticking out in all directions. He styled it liked Vanda Darkflame styled her hair; after all, he was a dedicated Paradox member. During the Faction War Era, he hadn't worn other gear and denied his alliance to the Paradox; he had proudly worn the Space Marauder outfit, and took all the jeering and pranks. Of, course, the anti-Paradox stuff had stopped a while ago. In fact, it seemed now that the majority of people were joining the darker faction. Zack didn't like this either. He liked it right in the middle; not fame, not infamy, just solitude. This is why Zack looked back at the old days with a longing, wishing that he was just a rookie again, trying to decide which faction he wanted to join. Those days were gone now, though. Now it was all battles and gear, rares and money. Maybe occasionally visiting some of the modern architecture, made by the recruits who didn't exactly enjoy the battles of the Nimbus System. Zack shook the remorse from his head, and scanned the landscape below him, watching from his position underneath the bleachers at Red Blocks. He stared out through the cracks between seats, looking for anything suspicious. He didn't know why he did this; it just helped to calm his nerves, spying. He soon got over his nerves, and decided that today was the day he would tell Vanda. He'd been talking to her for a while now, and they were good friends. Zack felt that today was a good day. He even bought flowers from a vendor in Avant Gardens. He quickly climbed out, going over the water and heading for the center of Nimbus Station. He walked down the path, waved at the pants-less minifigure he could never remember the name of. Zack entered Nimbus Plaza, and spotted his friend Tyler, trading with another minifigure. He walked by just as Tyler bought the item for one hundred fifty coins. "I see you got lucky!" Zack remarked. "Yes, I did!" Tyler replied. "IMPORTANT MESSAGE!" Zack jumped at the loud voice, suddenly announcing the news. He looked around and saw a loudspeaker. Then Bob began speaking. Chapter 1.3 Tyler Nimbus Station... Tyler was a loyal member of the Sentinel faction; he saved many people's lives. His head of thick brown hair was always ready for battle. During the Faction War Era, Tyler was held prisoner at a boot camp. He eventually escaped, freeing many people. Even after that, people still call him a hero. Tyler always dreamed of being a faction leader. He proudly wore his Space ranger outfit, for the honor of the Sentinel faction. Tyler, Zack, and everyone else looked to the loudspeaker. Everyone was starting to hear Bob's voice. Bob said this important message... ---- WARNING! MAELSTROM OUTBREAK IN CRUX PRIME! WE NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET. PLEASE USE YOUR STRONGEST GEAR TO PREVENT FROM GETTING SMASHED. AND REMEMBER, THE NEXUS FORCE SHALL WIN! ---- And with that, everyone had rushed to Crux Prime. Zack and Tyler were in front of everybody. And, of course, got there first. Tyler and Zack gazed at the huge amount of Maelstrom on the field. He also saw the Faction Leaders, fighting for the sake of their lives. "HELP US!" Duke yelled. Zack and Tyler rushed to help Duke and everyone else. This was the battle that would change everything. Chapter 1.4 Zack In Crux Prime... Zack's Paradox Darkwarp rocket turned horizontal, dumping him onto the rocky terrain of Crux Prime. He landed gently on the balls of his feet. Tyler was already there, gazing out over the giant field filled with glowing purple. Maelstrom covered the entire planet, changing the familiar grey into an ominous, warning purple. Zack felt like someone was whispering in his ear, telling him to stay back. The magnitudes of Stromlings were tearing down the giant rock formations in Sentinel Point Zeta, basically changing the entire landscape of the normally bleak rocky area. As far as Zack could tell, the Maelstrom couldn't reach the area they stood on at the moment. There were some talon marks, but the dragons were too heavy to have lifted their own weight this high. But, apparently, they could grab things, because as Zack looked over the edge, he saw a tangled mess of blue and silver on the ground below them that he happened to recognize as Bronson Jarls. He winced as he envisioned what had happened: the Maelstrom had surged, and Jarls must have been taken by surprise, ripped down by a talon and then mauled by the Stromlings below. I would describe what he saw, but I'm afraid that I don't wish the rating of this tale to go from PG to R. In the center of the fray stood the four faction leaders, wiping the Maelstrom off the bleak ground. Duke Exeter saw the new arrivals. "HELP US!" he screamed out. Zack sighed. Just when he had gathered up enough guts to tell Vanda how he felt, this had to happen. He shared a look with Tyler, and they both nodded. They jumped down. Zack unsheathed both his katana with the single jump, and held the hooked end downwards, ready to stab. Tyler had already fired three bolts of energy from his Space Ranger blaster into the crowd, and thrown a grenade. As his first katana cut through the skin of the nearest Stromling, Zack's mind went into the Zen area of self-peace his Sensei had taught him. Everything seemed to slow down, but his mind stayed just as adept as always, noticing practically everything now. The blade entered the Maelstrom body, slicing through the core slowly. Zack felt the blade, knowing basically where it was. He felt the movement as it cleanly cut through the Stromling, and the moment the hook was out on the other side of the creature, he twisted the katana, moving the hook to become horizontal to the ground instead of vertical. Then he pulled backwards, slicing the hook right back through the Maelstrom creature, basically cutting it up into several pieces. During all this, he was still falling. With his other sword, he stabbed it downwards, the sharp blade cutting into the ground and providing a stable surface. He twisted around on this sword as he brought his other sword out of the disintegrating Stromling's body, and landed smoothly on the ground, as the creature exploded behind him. Tyler was already on the ground. He whacked an Admiral with the butt of his gun, and then shot a Ronin right behind him, simultaneously. Zack raised his eyebrow. It seemed that Tyler wouldn't need his help, so… he was free to help Vanda! He pushed through the crowd of Stromlings, ducking and dodging the attacks when he could and slicing when he needed to. He laid down a ragged line of injured Stromlings behind him. Other recruits could take care of those. "Vanda!" he exclaimed in relief when he saw her, dueling a Ronin and winning. Vanda noticed him, smiled back briefly, then kicked the Maelstrom creature hard in the face. Zack grinned. That was Vanda, all right. Smiling at her friends while obliterating her enemies. Zack ran over to help Vanda, planning to talk to her once this was all over. After all, the Nexus Force always won, didn't it? Things like this had happened before. They could be kept under control. Behind Zack, a large group of rockets started to come down on the launchpad, signaling the arrival of more recruits. Vanda started to make conversation. "So, Zack. How have you been? Oh, and, you're late." she said, her voice humorous while she rolled underneath an ape and stabbed her sword upwards underneath it. "I've been fine," Zack replied, grinning while he threw a shuriken at the ape's foot. "And I'm fashionably late. You, on the other hand… well, no one likes someone who comes three hours early to a party." "Four hours, thank you very much," Vanda said huffily as she finished off the ape with a last swipe. "And it's called being prepared, not coming early." Zack raised an eyebrow, and stabbed his katana through a Stromling. It exploded into a dissipating cloud of purple fog. Just then, more Maelstrom surged up, and an evacuation ship came into view, hovering above the rocky planet. Chapter 1.5 Tyler The Maelstrom surge had created army units for the Maelstrom, giving them a huge advantage. Tanks, Soldiers, and Artillery dominated the ground. Gunboats, carriers, and Battleships sailed the seas. And Fighters, Bombers, and Airships hovered above, near the massive evacuation ship. The ship was about to land. Just then, a fighter started shooting at the ship. Tyler threw a sticky grenade at the fighter, causing it to explode. A mysterious man was on the rocks above. He wasn't an ordinary man. He was a pilot, and not a very good one. His name was Baron Crashalot. Crashalot got in his fighter, The Bandit, which looked like a Fokker Tri-plane from the World Wars. Crashalot was firing at the Maelstrom below, smashing the stromlings to dust. Maelstrom dust. The ship had landed several miles from the battlefield, to prevent Maelstrom from getting in or destroying it. The pilot, whose name remains unknown, shouted out "Get in!" Duke, Vanda, and all the other started running to the ship. Baron Crashalot fired at the Stromling, who were chasing the Nexus Force. Tyler shot the stromlings Baron Crashalot had missed. Zack noticed some Ronin were in the ship. He swiftly ran to the Ronin, slicing the Ronin in half. The ship was defended. Bombers hit several Nexus Force people, smashing them. Tanks had run over or hit Nexus Force people. The battleships had hit some too. Just about everyone was in the ship. Time was running out. The pilot couldn't wait longer, because the Maelstrom was coming so fast. The pilot then got out, and shot many Stromlings. Zack and Tyler were in the ship already, as was everyone else. The pilot got back to the controls, and the ship lifted off. The soldiers, tanks, artillery, battleships, gunboats, and carriers tried shooting at the ship. But there were only glancing blows. The ship was already pretty far from Crux Prime. Out the back window, Tyler looked. He saw something. Nexus Tower was being destroyed by the Maelstrom, and being used for their military. Zack and a few others looked back. They all got on their knees and wept, mourning the sad loss of Nexus Tower, the Nexus Force's biggest achievement. But things were about to get worse. Tyler spotted Maelstrom Bombers, Fighters, and Airships. Baron Crashalot was firing at the Maelstrom ships, causing them to crash. Some planes nearly destroyed Baron Crashalot. But he managed to take control of the plane. The ships continuously fired at the evacuation ship. The ship was already thousands of miles away from Avant Gardens, and near undiscovered and unknown worlds. A bomber then hit the ship's engine. But only one engine remained. Another bomber hit the engine. The ship was falling. The pilot pressed a button, which activated the back-up boosters. Tyler then opened a window and started shooting at the ships, helping Baron Crashalot shoot the ships down. But more Maelstrom ships attacked. The back-up engine was destroyed. The ship was falling.... falling... and falling. The ships decided to return to Crux Prime. The evacuation ship had crashed on a world, which was then named ‘Cape Pleasant', because it was so peaceful. "We need a military." Duke said. "Great idea. I'll start on some things right now." Doctor Overbuild said. Doctor Overbuild had then built barracks, so he could build and repair army units. There were some lakes on Cape Pleasant, which were used for shipyards, where everyone had built navy units. A hangar was also built, so they could build air units. But the only units they knew how to build were: Ironclad Gunboats, Vintage Carriers, Vintage Battleships, Cadet Soldier, Cannon Artillery, Vintage Tanks, Vintage Fighter, Vintage Bombers, and Zeppelin Airships. These units weren't that strong. Just then, Baron Crashalot had returned with his ship heavily damaged. "Hello. My name is Baron Crashalot. I'm not the best pilot but I am pretty good." Baron Crashalot said to Doctor Overbuild. "Ah, hello! My name is Albert Brickstenbrickterbuild Overbuild. But people call me Doctor Overbuild." Doctor Overbuild said. "Could you repair my ship? It's not looking too good..." Baron Crashalot asked. "Sure!" Doctor Overbuild said excitedly. Many Nexus Force people had gotten army units. But there were fifteen soldiers, fifteen gunboats, fifteen bombers, ten battleships, ten artillery, ten fighters, five tanks, five carriers, and five airships. Leading to a total of ninety people with units. Doctor Overbuild had repaired Baron Crashalot's ship. "Thank you!" Baron Crashalot said. "You're welcome." Doctor Overbuild replied. "Now lets continue moving on away from the Maelstrom." Duke suggested. Everyone then walked to the next area, which was named "Mercadia". But the maelstrom had even gotten there, and somewhat farther back. Baron Typhonus was on the farthest, to start an empire of Maelstrom after the victory on Crux Prime. "Okay guys wait, I gotta do something important." Duke had gotten a flagpole and a flag with the Nexus Force symbol on it. Duke then declared the land ‘The Nexus Empire'. "Okay, now lets go" Duke said. Everyone had marched to Mercadia. Not knowing that Murgle Blotch was the dictator. Chapter 1.6 Zack In Cape Pleasant… Zack sat on his bunker in one of the new buildings on Cape Pleasant, running his katana over a spinning moonstone, sharpening the deadly weapon. His bed was slightly uncomfortable, but after the Nexus Force had lost basically everything to the Maelstrom, they had to take everything that they could get. Fortunately, Cape Pleasant was a nice area, with a very adaptable environment. They easily fit into the ecosystem of the area, and there were plenty of animals to hunt, plenty of fruits to pick. Though Doctor Albert Overbuild hadn't had enough material to build very big buildings, so the factions had to take turns using the mess hall. At least Albert had something to distract him from the loss of Nexus Tower. Zack was worried about Vanda. All her scientific discoveries, everything she had studied, had been in that tower. Her life's work was in the computers built into the tower that had fallen to the Maelstrom, in the laboratories all around the upper floors of Nexus Tower. She had lost practically everything but her faction. Then again, Hael had lost all his treasure, too, but everything Vanda lost hadn't been stolen. And she was a girl, so Zack cared about her more. He sighed, and pulled his Shinobi Gi over his head, laying down his katana. It was three in the morning, and Duke Exeter had decided that today, a group of people would be moving forward on this line of island-like planets they had found. Apparently, they all were named. In the databases of deep space, these planets were listed. Right now, they were on Cape Pleasant. Today, about nine tenths of the Nexus Force, including Zack and Tyler, would be moving forward to position more groups on the other planets, so as to make more room. The nearest planet was called Mercadia, and they were hoping that it would be much like Cape Pleasant. Unfortunately, that was not to be so. Three hours later, at six in the morning, the Shinobi were out as usual, doing their morning workouts, Zack with them. Tyler, unable to sleep, was to the side watching them. Zack stood up to take a break, sweat dripping off his face. He came to the edge of the training field, and started to talk with Tyler in the mid-morning light, while the others continued their push-ups on the dewy wet grass. "Hey… ‘Sup, man?" Zack said, panting. He raised a water bottle to his lips, and gulped down half the liquid in the container. "Couldn't sleep," Tyler replied. "I'm worried; what if the Maelstrom's already on Mercadia? You saw all those Stromlings on Crux Prime; imagine how many they must have collectively." Zack simply nodded, still breathing heavily. Tyler took a breath, ready to talk more. "And-" A loud bell interrupted him, signaling an announcement. A voice came over the crude intercom system the Assembly Engineers had managed to build, with some help from the Inventors. "All those chosen to come to Mercadia, report to the training fields, please." Zack sighed in relief. "Phew. We're already here." Tyler grinned at him. Slowly, over the course of about ten minutes, recruits started to filter onto the green fields, while the sun began to rise slowly. Duke Exeter, Vanda Darkflame, Doctor Albert Overbuild, and Hael Storm all stood on a platform at the front of the training fields, where announcers would stand during a game of football or soccer or something of the sort. Duke Exeter spoke first. "Hello, everyone! I see we have some people who were already out here." This got a chuckle from the Shinobi, and Tyler. "Well, I guess we'll give you the lowdown for this mission. There are eight other planets in this chain of islands, so including Cape Pleasant, that's a total of nine planets. The closest one to the Nimbus System, where we previously live, is here, Cape Pleasant. Vanda, being more of a scientist, will tell you all more about the planets themselves." Vanda nodded at Duke, and stepped up to the microphone. "Well, branching out from Cape Pleasant, the planets are each about the same size, basically pretty small. Mercadia is closest to us, and from there is Reef Haven, then Teramar, and after that is Isla Azul. Isla Azul is the largest planet in the chain, with its own small ocean. One there, we'll conquer three different areas in three different movements. First Lobster Bay, then Port Sylvan, and lastly Tranquility Cove. After this, we'll move on to the next planet, Ithmar. Then we'll conquer San Topaz, and after that Corte Marino. Lastly, we'll take control of the second largest planet, Marinat Karinas. On here, there are two different major locations, which we'll conquer with two separate movements. First we'll take Skull Island, and lastly, we'll conquer the Mokupuni Archipelago." Tyler and Zack exchanged a look. "Quite a system," Tyler muttered. Zack nodded. Duke stepped forward again. "All of us faction leaders will be coming along. We're putting some of our most trusted men in charge of factions on each planet, and we'll take charge of the tenths of each faction on the Mokupuni Archipelago. Does everyone understand? If you do, clap!" The crowd erupted in applause. Zack and Tyler clapped together, knowing what they were getting themselves into. Everything has passed in a quick blur after that. The faction leaders had let them cheer for a few minutes, and then had bundled them into some carriers and airships, to fly them out to Mercadia. Tyler and Zack were both on a carrier, bunched in between some fighter-planes. Luckily, they were beside one of the windows, so they were able to see the view as the ship flew them out to Mercadia. "I wonder what we'll find there…" Tyler mused, staring at the planet growing ever closer. "Hopefully, another Cape Pleasant," Zack replied, trying to rest against the wheel of a fighter-plane. Tyler's eyes widened as they came into view of the planet. He tapped Zack on the shoulder. "What?" Zack grumbled, keeping his eyes closed. "This isn't anything like Cape Pleasant…" Tyler whispered, staring down. Zack frowned at the tone of his voice. He sat up, and looked at the window. His mouth fell open at what he saw. The planet of Mercadia was filled with Maelstrom. Stromlings and Hammerlings swarmed the surface of the planet. Maelstrom creatures filled the ground making it seem like a purple planet. A small tower rose up in the north. Zack was jolted out of his reverie when the carrier was hit by a Maelstrom laser, rocking the ship. Tyler and Zack were thrown backwards as they entered the gravity field, and their seatbelts unbuckled. The intercom sparked, and an announcement started to come over. "All recruits. Please prepare to be dropped out of the carrier. Appointed pilots, please enter your respective fighter-planes." Zack was completely alarmed now. He quickly grabbed up his parachute bag and strapped it to his back. Beside him, Tyler did the same. They both got in line behind everyone else. Zack was already running over what to do in his mind. Obviously, the Maelstrom has reached this planet before they did, which probably meant the Maelstrom was taking over every other planet, too. Vanda had probably realized this too. Zack felt a sudden pang as he remembered just how much danger Vanda was in. He shook the thoughts from his head. Vanda could take care of herself. So, he would be dropped down. He would aim for the tower, most likely their central headquarters on the planet, and hopefully manage to break in. He repeated the plan to himself over and over again, and before e knew it, it was his turn to jump. He took a deep breath, and looked at Tyler beside him. Tyler nodded, and they both jumped down, spreading out the arms and legs. Tyler had basically figured the same thing as Zack: aim for the tower, and let the others be bothered with the armies below. The two best friends fell, and pulled out their parachutes, Zack about half a second after Tyler. They drifted down and landed on the tower, gently taking a stand on the walkway going around the tower. In Mercadia… Zack stuck his downloader into the nearest electrical current in the wall, hacking into the system and downloading the plans for the building. He quickly took a look at where they were. "Okay," he said. "We go through this window, and get to the steps. We climb up, and then take out Murgle Blotch, who should be right up here at the top. Kay?" Tyler nodded. They smashed the window, and rushed inside. The halls were eerily silent. Then Zack realized that most of the Maelstrom was probably down on the battlefield, defending the tower. He breathed a sigh of relief, and started to run down the hallway to the steps. Tyler ripped open the door, and they both ran up. Murgle Blotch stood in his office, glaring at the battlefield he could see outside of his window. He hated life. Why did these Nexus Force people have to live? There was no point to their lives. Movement. Murgle Blotch snapped his head up to look at the screen on the wall. There were two Nexus Force recruits running up the steps, headed right for his office. He grimaced. Only one way to solve this. The Ripper. Tyler and Zack burst into Murgle Blotch's office, to watch him start to fly off the open-air giant deck, riding an airship with bright red letters on the side saying ‘The Ripper.' Zack gritted his teeth. He rushed forward, and jumped, grasping for the edge of the airship's basket underneath the balloon. He missed. He started to fall, feeling practically weightless. Then he felt someone's hand on his shirt. He looked up to see Tyler, with his Space Ranger rocket boots activating, hovering and holding up Zack. Zack smiled. Then Tyler pulled them both into The Ripper. To face Murgle Blotch. Murgle growled at the two of them. He held up his hammer replacing his hand, and smacked it at the two warriors. Tyler let go of Zack shirt, and they both dived in different directions. They came around, on either side of Murgle. Zack threw a shuriken at Murgle's head, while at the same time, Tyler fired a blast of energy into the other side of his head. Murgle completely imploded, throwing Maelstrom goo over the two best friends. Zack wiped the goo off his face to see Tyler looking at himself, his face twisted at how disgusting the slime was. They looked at each other. And then burst out laughing. Chapter 1.7 Tyler In Reef Haven... After the victory on Mercadia, Duke put another flag, making the empire grow larger. More advanced units were added. They were Torpedo Gunboats, Light Carriers, Light Battleships, Armored Tanks, Field Artillery, Grunt Soldiers, Mustang fighters, Flying fortress bombers, and Light Airships. After that, the Nexus Army moved on to another area: Reef Haven, which was famous for its large supply of oil. Both armies had then collided. It was all-out war. Tyler spotted a ship in the sky. It looked like a Flying Wing. It was a bomber called ‘The Honey Badger'. Despite its name, The Honey Badger was a very dangerous ship. There were bullets and bombs. Tyler and Zack both got in Flying Fortress Bombers and flew to The Honey Badger. On the ground, the Armored Tanks were destroying the weak Stromlings. But who was flying the Honey Badger? It was Talli Reeko. Talli Reeko dropped bombs on the Nexus Army, injuring many troops. But from behind, Tyler had shot at The Honey Badger. Talli then turned The Honey Badger around and started shooting at Tyler's bomber. Some of the bullets missed. But the ones that hit the bomber really didn't do that much damage. Zack fired some bullets. Many of them hit one of The Honey Badger's propellers, nearly causing it to crash. But with one propeller, The Honey Badger still flew. Tyler launched a bomb at the Honey Badger's other engine, destroying it. The Honey Badger was falling, down in flames. Talli Reeko opened the cockpit and jumped out. With a parachute, of course. Tyler and Zack dropped bombs on the Stromlings unit there weren't too many left. Tyler and Zack then found a safe area to land. They found Talli Reeko. "Well, well, well... Look who's trying to kill me." Talli Reeko said. "You got that right." Tyler said. "You wont make it out alive..." Talli Reeko said egotistically. "Call in the tanks." Zack said. And with that, many Armored Tanks appeared near Talli Reeko. "Please. PLEASE spare me PLEASE!" Talli begged. "Fire!" Duke Exeter commanded. The Tanks fired, smashing Talli Reeko once and for all. Reef Haven's Oil supply wasn't harmed as much, but it would prove useful if the maelstrom would have more advanced units. Duke set down a flag on Reef Haven. "The nexus Empire is growing bit by bit, day by day." Duke said. "Yup!" Vanda Darkflame said. Just then, baron Crashalot's plane landed on Reef Haven. Baron Crashalot was dying. "What happened?!" Doctor Overbuild had said. "Baron Typhonus... attacked... me... The Bandit.... didn't make it..." Baron Crashalot said, in his fading voice. "We've got to get you to a hospital right away!" Doctor Overbuild said. Hospitals were built in the Nexus Empire. 6 days later… "He's not doing that well." A doctor said. "Will he be alright?" Tyler asked. "No." The doctor said. " Why?" Zack asked. "You see, he was nearly killed by a blast of Maelstrom from Baron Typhonus, which can kill you instantly. Baron Crashalot is actually the person who hasn't died from that." The doctor said. "Wow." Baron Crashalot said, his voice even quieter. The machine was beeping slower.... and slower... and slower.... The machine had then stopped beeping. "I'm afraid Baron Crashalot is dead," The doctor said. "NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Zack and Tyler shouted sadly. Three days after, the Nexus Empire was going to their next location: Teramar. Chapter 1.8 Zack The expansive field of Teramar was totally green. Trees sprouted up from the surface, and a swiftly moving river cut through the foliage. But the Maelstrom detectors were all going crazy. Zack knew this because he was standing beside Vanda, and she was standing beside the Maelstrom detectors. But mainly: he was standing beside Vanda!!! "What's going on?" Zack spoke up. Vanda lifted her head to give him a look that said: ‘Are you serious?' "I think we passed above some Maelstrom." Vanda said, almost sarcastically. "Thank you for asking, Captain Obvious." Zack raised his eyebrows. "No problem, Lieutenant Sarcasm." Vanda smiled, and for a moment, Zack felt very, very- "BANANAS!" Zack and Vanda both jumped, turning around towards the noise. Tyler stood there, grinning at the two startled ninja. "What?" he said. "I'm Corporal Random. Get it? Cause he's Captain Obv-" "We get it," Vanda said, rolling her eyes and turning back to her work. "Jokes get a lot less funnier when you explain them." Tyler gasped, putting on a hurt expression. "My feelings are so injured!" Vanda looked up suddenly, getting a message over the com-link in her ear. "Gotcha. Kay, guys, head down to the hangar." Tyler opened the door and gestured to Zack with a wide grin. "Ladies first." Zack sighed in exasperation, and walked through the door. Tyler followed, saluting to Vanda playfully. Once the door was closed and they were both out on the mesh floor hallway, Zack punched Tyler on the shoulder. "Ow!" Tyler exclaimed. "What the heck was that for!?" "You yelled bananas quite loud." Zack said through his teeth. We walked away down the hallway, leaving Tyler rubbing his shoulder. Zack had managed to get himself on a team with Vanda, while Tyler was stuck with some other guy, named Jackson. Vanda, Zack, and several other less important teams would infiltrate the eastern section of the forest. Tyler, Jackson, and several other teams would search the western area. Each squad would look for any tangible signs of Maelstrom, and take it out. The wind blew across Zack's face as he stood on the diving platform beside Vanda. They looked at each other. Then Vanda shoved him off and followed after him. His cheeks were pushed back against his face as he fell, making an almost comical expression. Zack tugged on his string as hard as he could. He felt the tension basically disappear from the string. He looked up and realized that he had tugged so hard, the string had snapped before the parachute could deploy. He frowned, then looked up and saw Vanda high above him, floating down. No way he could piggyback a ride now. Zack sighed. The hard way it was. Straightening out his legs and keeping his arms straight by his sides, he fell into a dive, aiming for the river winding through the foliage. He heard Vanda yelling something behind him, but he couldn't make out what. Probably telling him to use his parachute. Ha. He pulled up his body and splashed into the river with a loud chunk. Almost instantly, the Imagination started to rebuild him. Vanda landed softly as Zack crawled out of the river and flopped onto the ground. "What was that!?" Vanda exclaimed. "Ugh…" Zack groaned. Then a tank ripped down the trees behind him, and everything turned into confusion. Dark brown letters, entitling the tank ‘The Hammerhead,' were painted on the side. The tank itself was a deep black. Zack's energy was suddenly back, and Vanda was already throwing shurikens at the obviously Maelstrom sided tank. The top opened up, and what looked like a Maelstrom sentry poked its head out, looking around. It spotted Vanda, mostly because she landed a shuriken on the side of its head. The thing jumped out. "I am ED-902, made to protect the Maelstrom Empire. You have violated law 7132, and will be executed." The robot walked towards Vanda, passing Zack. He grabbed its leg, but he was simply dragged along. "Alright then," Vanda said. "Let's dance." Vanda quickly uppercut ED-902. Its head stayed where it was, only bruising Vanda's hand. She waved her hand as the robot looked at her. Its shooting arm raised, and Vanda stuck a katana into the gun. The laser backfired, and the arm exploded. Zack crawled on top of ED-902 and started riding on its shoulders. Its arms were unable to reach its head to get Zack off. "Giddy-up, robot horsey." Zack said, grinning. ED-902 fell backwards, slamming into Zack. "Oof." He grunted, his eyes going wide. Vanda stabbed the robot's eye, and pulled it off of Zack while the head started to spark. "You alright?" "Ugh…" Chapter 1.9 Tyler ED-902 fell, but not The Hammerhead or the Maelstrom on Teramar. Tyler pulled out his laser gun as Jackson pulled out a bazooka. Tyler looked at Jackson with an annoyed look. "What?" Jackson said. "Just please, PLEASE save that for when were destroying the tank..." Tyler said. "I'll try..." Jackson said. "Sigh...." Tyler said. Tyler then launched 4 missiles at the thick forces of Maelstrom ahead. This made more Nexus Force tanks to roll in. Jackson, being stupid, accidentally shot a tank with the last bazooka shot he had. "Ooops..." Jackson said. Fuming with anger, Tyler said. "YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO SAVE THAT FOR THE HAMMERHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!". "Look, Im sorry..." Jackson said. "SORRY WONT CUT IT, WHEN TERAMAR IS THEN MAELSTROM-MAR!!!!!" Tyler raged. Tyler then walked away from Jackson and threw a note on the floor which read. ---- To: Jackson From: Tyler COME ON DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ---- Zack and Vanda rushed to the Hammerhead, which was being controlled by one of ED-902's followers. Tyler had gotten there too. But then Jackson appeared behind the Hammerhead. "GET DOWN!!!" Jackson yelled. They all took cover behind a fallen tree. The Hammerhead exploded. "Uh....." Zack said. "How it blew up? Yeah, I put charges in there." Jackson said. "Look, I'm sorry I called you an idiot and gave up on you." Tyler said. "Its alright." Jackson said. After the Hammerhead's destruction, the Maelstrom forces started to retreat. To Isla Azul. Duke put down the Nexus Force flag in Teramar. "Onward!" Duke yelled, as the Nexus army marched towards Isla Azul, unaware of what dangers were ahead. "You still mad at me?" Jackson asked Tyler. "Uh....." Tyler said. Chapter 2.0 The Nexus Empire was right smack in the middle of their invasion of Isla Azul. But the Maelstrom had grown tired of losing. So they had done the unexpected. They'd moved all their troops to Isla Azul. Even the Baron. The members of the Nexus Empire were just barely holding on. They'd been battling for over an hour, and there had been several breakthroughs in the line. Tyler was exhausted. His Blaster had run out of energy a while ago, and now he was chucking what he could find at the enemy, and waiting for the orbitals overhead to get a good view on the ground below, so that he could call down a laser. Zack stood next to Vanda. He was still quite nervous, but he'd resolved to finally tell her how he felt. "Vanda!" he yelled over the gunfire and sword clinging. They were sitting in a trench, killing off the waves of Stromlings that were pouring into the hole. Vanda sliced a stromling behind her. "What!?" she screamed back. "I… I-" Suddenly, a Stromling tackled Zack, catching him unawares. "Hey." Tyler turned to see another soldier holding out a new charge for the gun. "Thought you might need this," he said. "I'm Alex. I escaped from the Maelstrom prison on Teramar." Tyler nodded. "Thanks for the charge." He stood up and began blasting again, nimbly dodging enemy attacks. "AH! Get off me!" Zack yelled at the Stromling. "Blergurgahgurgle," it replied. "ArgheeshabambleEEEEE!" The Stromling stopped screeching from pain after Vanda pulled her sword out of it. "Be more careful!" she said. "Now, what was it you were saying?" "Vanda, I… I think…" "Yes?" A whistling noise began to sound behind them. "I lo-" Zack was cut off again, but this time by something much bigger. A sudden blast of purple energy had slammed into the area where Vanda was standing, right in the middle of Zack's sentence. "No," he whispered. Tyler reached for his radio, to call up to the orbitals. But a hand on his arm stopped him. He turned. "Wha-" Suddenly, the minifigure punched him right across the face. Everything went black, and the last thing he heard was a minifigure talking over a radio. "He's down." "NO!" Zack screamed at the sky. He jumped up out of the trench, and ran as fast he could, anger heightening his senses instead of blinding him. He sliced Stromling after Stromling, ignoring anything that wasn't in his way to the Baron. A minifigure stepped in front of him. "He's down." Zack stopped. Lying on the ground was Tyler. The minifigure standing above him looked up. "Oh, hello! You must be Zack. Nice to meet you." Then he swung his right fist, aiming for Zack's midsection. Zack ducked underneath the hand, then kicked upwards, cracking the minifigure's elbow. He yelled out in pain, and fell to the floor. Zack got up, and looked between the giant Maelstrom headquarters nearby, and his friend, in danger. He sighed. He grabbed Tyler's arms, and began dragging him towards the medic's room. Tyler began to wake up, but was still weak. "Wha… what's going on?" "Shh," Zack said. "Rest." Tyler smiled crazily, still half-asleep. "You're carrying me. Ha ha. It's a good thing you work out. Isn't my armor… heavy?" "Yes," Zack said through gritted teeth. "Quite heavy." A whistling noise began. A familiar whistling noise… Zack turned around just in time to see the purple ball of Maelstrom energy slam into him and Tyler. They were obliterated. ---- The Nexus Empire was destroyed that day at Isla Azul. As for Tyler, Vanda, and Zack, none of them survived the blasts. Alex escaped the battle, only to be captured again, and infected with Maelstrom. He became a general in the Stromling Army. The traitor to the Nexus Force was double-crossed by the Baron, and killed when he got back to Headquarters. Duke Exeter was infected, Overbuild and Storm were both executed. The Maelstrom took each of the planets back. My parents always told me this story when I was growing up. It is pure history, complete fact. You see, you can't destroy Maelstrom with Imagination. As was shown, the moment Imagination touches Maelstrom, it is corrupted with Chaos. To many of you reading my childhood bedtime story I've published, this may seem like a tragedy. But trust me! It was a happy change! All the minifigures that died that day were useless, and had no point. Believe me. Chaos is a good thing. I now end my tale. ~Zenorax, Also Known as Stromling 169 Category:Stories Based on New Characters